SYRACUSE, NY -- Pat Carmeli left Israel 10 years ago, appalled by her country's treatment of Palestinians. She now lives in Cazenovia.

Hass Ibrahim of Syracuse says Israeli security forces locked him in a room for seven hours of questioning last year when he went to visit his Palestinian grandparents.

The two joined hundreds of others Friday afternoon at a rally in downtown Syracuse to protest recent bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, U.S. military support of Israel and the treatment of Palestinians.

"It's hate against hate," Chris Ahmdan, 19, of Brooklyn, said of the conflict. He has family in Palestine. "Palestinians are dying every day."

Israel sent troops into the Gaza Strip earlier this month after the murder of three Israeli teenagers triggered a rash of violent retaliation. The consequences, Carmeli points out, have been unbalanced. The United Nations reports that as of Thursday, 789 Palestinians have been killed. That includes 578 civilians, of whom 185 were children and 93 women. At the same time, 37 Israelis have died - 35 soldiers and two civilians.

The rally Friday attracted groups from around the region including the Syracuse Peace Council, Ithaca Jewish Voice for Peace and the Cornell Students for Justice in Palestine. Many at the rally urged people to pressure the federal government on its military aid to Israel. The U.S. gives about $3.15 billion annually.

"I want to support human rights for all people," Carmeli said. "As Americans isn't that what we're all about?"